The Blue Butterfly
by ToraAngel
Summary: Kagome willing accepts the temporary pain for a life time of love and happiness. A little bit of angst mix with romance for the Dokuga Christmas exchange.


I don't own Inuyasha or the characters, I also make no money from my writings. Rumiko Takahashi owns all the characters.

The Blue Butterfly

Kagome winced from the pain of the needles that kept piercing her skin. She had heard that tattoos could sting depending on where it was placed, but she figured the middle of her back wouldn't hurt as much. 'Oh how wrong I was on that front, maybe I should have put it on my lower back or leg. Too late now, plus I didn't want a tramp stamp and on my leg everyone in the feudal era would have see it.'

Kagome bit her lip when the needle seemed to hit another overly sensitive spot. She had thought long and hard about getting her first tattoo, knowing many would think it just a passing fad. Over the previous three years in the past she had grown leaps and bounds, not only in her powers but also in her personality.

The innocent veil that had covered her eyes her first year in the feudal era had been slowly lost as she saw more and more death and suffering. It had seemed that her mistake in breaking the jewel had reached far and wide and no one was spared its suffering. She had come to the realization that if the whole jewel had been taken, the pain and suffering would have been even more troubling. It had taken them three years to finally defeat Naraku, but they had done it.

Another stab of pain woke Kagome from her daydreaming. She knew that her mother would freak when she found out her daughter had got a tattoo, but this one had special meaning behind it. Allowing a smile to show on her face, she couldn't wait to see what his reaction would be when he found it.

"Almost done, Miss Higurashi. It should only be about another 5 minutes," the kind artist confirmed. Kagome had to admit the man had frightened her the first time she walked to the tattoo parlor, covered in tattoos and piercings. It had thus surprised her how down to earth the man was.

She knew that her design was often over used but with some help from the artist the tweaks he made to the design was perfect. She had chosen a butterfly and a waning crescent moon. She loved how butterflies represented change, a morph in life. But like all butterflies, they were so fragile. If you held them too tight, you would smother them. You had to let them come to you, let them spread their wings and fly. And the moon... well that was more like a brand for others to know who she belonged to.

She had chosen the Ulysses butterfly for its beautiful colors, but also because it matched the beautiful sword she had been gifted from her intended. Kagome couldn't be sure if he had ever seen the beautiful butterfly in life, but she knew that having this mark permanently placed on her was another step in their courting dance.

She knew that she could have had the work done in the past but she had looked up the ways of ancient tattooing and decided that the modern way was not only faster, but involved a lot less pain. The idea of having thin slices of bamboo repeatedly tapped by a hammer into her skin was not appealing. And while tebori would have been more traditional she preferred the less painful way.

Letting her mind go numb for the last few minutes, she focused back on Sango and her pregnancy. She was almost positive that the young mother was going to have twins, not only by her size but they often felt more than one set of feet kicking. Sango was late in her 7th month and Kagome was worried that she would go into labor early and she wouldn't be there to help her sister out. But she also knew that the longer Sango carries the healthier the baby or babies would be.

Kagome could also say she missed her sparring partner. It had become one of her greatest memories learning to fight with not only her sword but also the hand to hand combat. She loved being able to stand on her own two feet. She had become sick of being useless and Inuyasha always yelling at her was grating on her nerves. So she became stronger and learned all she could from the people around her. Sango taught her how to fight with swords and also hand to hand combat. Miroku and Kaede taught her strengthen her holy powers, and how to heal others using the time's period methods. She knew that one day the well would seal and so she couldn't depend on the future's medicine forever.

Kagome was brought back to the present when she heard the tattoo gun turn off. Looking over her shoulder she noticed the smile on the artists face, he had been reluctant to do the tattoo at first thinking it was just on a whim. It had taken her a long time to find a demon tattoo artist, but she knew that he would understand why she was getting it done. Once she had explained that she was mating a demon he didn't question her.

The artist held a mirror up so she could see the tattoo; it was one of the reasons for the large mirror in the room. Looking at the work of art, Kagome couldn't help but smile. The royal blues and black of the Ulysses butterfly was a beautiful contrast to the Persian indigo moon. The butterfly itself looked as though it was resting on the moon. Tears started to gather in her eyes, she knew that the next step in the mating dance could finally begin.

The tattoo was probably going a bit far for some but it was her way to show her complete loyalty to her mate. She knew that with this no one could doubt or question her commitment to her future mate. And although tattoos were undesireable in the lower class humans, in high society for demons, it was a show of power.

"Thank you Saturo, it's perfect." Kagome couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice. She was heading back to past tomorrow and she was hoping to meet up with her intended before the rest of the group. She could show him the mark and although it would take awhile to heal, they could finally move on to the final part of the courtship.

Saturo put down the mirror and smiled at the petite girl. He had to admit when she had first shown up at his tattoo parlor he had his doubts. He had too many girls coming in at 18 wanting to go against tradition and get tattooed. Many were meaningless and would either be removed or covered up at a later date. But as soon as he realized who was asking and what she was asking he gave in without a second thought.

He couldn't help but the amused smile that showed off his fangs, he didn't think that Kagome would believe him if he told her the truth. That she, Kagome had approached him and asked him to do that tattoo. That he had already done it once and explained why she needed him to not fight her on it.

He turned to grab the plastic wrap so he could cover the tattoo; he had already given her instructions on how to take care of it.

Turning towards the divider he had set up for privacy work, he was going to give her some space to put her top back on. Stepping out of the room, he listened carefully. As soon as he heard her stop moving around and swearing slightly under her breath, he knocked. "Are you finished, Kagome?"

Kagome looked up at the screen; she had worn a halter top so that no material would be rubbing directly against the fresh tattoo. She also had a sweater duster. It was starting to get cold outside and she was also heading directly back to the Feudal Era. Wincing against the pain that seemed to radiate from her back, she swore under her breath. "Yes, I'm finished." She turned to the door and watched Saturo enter.

"Well you are finished. Just keep it cleaned and use the lotion I gave you, but make sure you don't put it on too thick. And when your tattoo starts to peel don't pick at it or have anyone else pick at it and also don't sit in the tub or a hot tub. You can pay up front with my wife, and I hope your intended is happy with your mark." Satoru smiled and started to clean up his work station. Once he heard Kagome's footsteps fade, he allowed his glamour spell to drop and a figure much more recognizable stood in the room. Ginta laughed; he couldn't wait to tell Hakkaku and Kouga that he got to see Kagome before them.

Hearing footsteps approaching he allowed his spell to once again rise and smiled when his wife turned the corner, "I take it that Kagome has left and is heading back to meet with him? So what do you think Shiori, should we call Kagome and tell her that she has just left?"

Shiori couldn't help the snort that came out. She let her spell down and her white hair and lavender eyes caught the light and reflected back. "You just couldn't keep it in anymore? I'm more than sure our Kagome knows that she has left; you know what happens today. I just hope today Kagome is ready for everything that follows."

Wrapping her arms around her mate, she knew that today would be both the best day of her life and also her worst. Signing, she knew that she could only send prayers to the kami above, because although they had lived through history once doesn't mean that the Kagome that just left did.

"Come, you have no more appointments today. Let's call it a day and we can go visit sister." Shiori let go of her mate; she knew he had to clean the area and his equipment. She walked towards the door smiling one last smile before she put her glamour spell back in place. Just in case someone decided to come in last minute before the shop was closed.

As Kagome walked away from the tattoo parlor, she could have sworn she knew the youki that came from in the shop, but she didn't recognize the people. Shaking her head she decided to stop by the local market to stock up on some needed items. She had been stocking up on any and all first aid items and personal needs, like her and Sango's favorite shampoos. It was very likely that the well could seal at any time, so she was careful to keep her hut well stocked and in containers that wouldn't be harmful to the time period. Those cost her more than supplies did, but she knew how important it was to not taint the past.

Walking around the store, she picked up many random supplies; shampoo and conditioner, ramen, too many gauze pads and ointments to count, and some candy and treats for the kids. And while the local shop keeper had learned to not question her about her weird purchases, the total did interest some people. However, since Kagome had finished high school, she'd told her friends that she was leaving Japan for school, so she could safely cash in her college trust fund to help support herself and her friends from the past. Once she handed over her money, Kagome gave the gentle man a bright smile, picked up her large load and headed back to her place.

The small market was only a few hundred yards from the Higurashi Shrine, but even the small distance and the heavy load was causing a strain on her back. But since she wanted to get back to the past today, she put up with it. She honestly wasn't sure why, but every time she had been coming back to the future she had the nagging feeling it was going to be the last time. So she had started to buy everything in bulk so that if it was they would have some items for at least a year if not over used.

Shaking her head, Kagome frowned. She was worried about losing her family in the future, but she knew they were well taken care of. What worried her was that she could never find any information about her family in the past, not one story or legend about them. Time had seemed to forget about them and their war against Naraku - a war that would have made World Wars I and II look like a child's tantrum, which worried her. Walking up the stairs she ignored the dull pain that radiated from the tattoo and the weight of the bags.

When Kagome entered her house, she knew it was empty; her family had left on a small vacation to the Kanto region. They wanted to get away from the city for a bit and the beauty and fresh air of the mountains called to the family. Kagome sighed; she had really wanted to join them, but she just couldn't leave Sango alone for the week.

She knew that splitting her time was getting harder and harder, but she had a feeling that the choice would be taken from her sooner than she wanted.

As she reached the top of the stairs she heard a voice she really didn't want to hear.

"Kagome-chan, how are you feeling? I last heard your arthritis was getting better from the warm weather in Hawaii." Hojo jogged towards her. "Let me help you with your bags, those will only hurt your condition."

Kagome sighed when she saw him; she knew that he had never given up on her and that she couldn't deal with it anymore. "Hojo, please stop. I'm fine and the bags won't hurt my condition any. Look I know why you still come to see me although everyone else thinks I'm out of the country. Please let me put the bags down inside and I will talk with you under the god tree."

Kagome continued to the house and set down her bags. She knew that she couldn't keep Hojo's hope up. She needed to let him down gently but not allow the poor boy any hope. Taking a deep breath she started back outside. As she walked, her back started to hurt less. She didn't want to imagine what carrying her monstrosity of a black hiker's bag was going to do to her.

Looking to the young man she noticed the differences between the time periods she lived in. He would never make it back in that time; he could not handle the stress or the death she faced. Maybe that was why she could never seem to relate to her friends from this time period any more.

"Hojo, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm home when I should be in school in Hawaii. The truth is I'm visiting my family before I mat… I'm married," Kagome stuttered. She had taken forever to use the term 'mate', now she had issues using the word 'marry'.

Hojo glanced at her hand, seeing no ring. Hopefully, he said, "But you have no ring, and I have never seen you with another man. If he truly loved you he would be proud and show his love and devotion to you with one." Hojo jumped back when the look in Kagome's eye hardened and a low growl escaped her.

"You have no right to talk about my intended like that. You do not know him or the way he was brought up. True, I don't have a ring to show I'm engaged but he doesn't follow the traditional sense in many ways. Instead, I have something that is just as important, if not more. He gave me a necklace that was passed down for generations in his family. That is more than enough me. Now please stop coming by and move on. My loyalty is to only one and you are not him." Kagome turned away and headed back to the house to finish her packing. Right now she just wanted to get back to the past and away from the idiot behind her. She decided that the quicker she returned to her home in the past the better.

She rushed to pack everything. She took a triple look to make sure she didn't forget anything. She ran down the stairs and started out the door, but stopped when she noticed the letter from her family. She paused a moment and decided to also leave them a note. She had never done that before but for some reason she felt the need to tell them how much she loved them and appreciated their support.

Kagome took the same note they left her and quickly put it in her bag. She couldn't understand why but she wanted that small piece of her family with her and once again paused before the front door. Looking around the living room, she finally found what she had been searching for; a small picture of her family. Her and Sota were just relaxing under the god tree and her mother and grandfather were telling one of the old legends of the shrine. A young boy that had been visiting the shrine that day took the picture on a whim and sent it to the family; it was very cherished to them because it wasn't a forced or posed picture, which was rare when it came to them. She grabbed the picture - simple frame and all - and decided to hang it in her hut back in the village.

Running out the door, she never noticed the young couple that was praying near one of the shrines. She continued till she was in front of the well, taking a deep breath she jump in.

Kagome knew something was wrong as the normal warmth of the trip seemed to turn colder and colder until she landed in the past. She fell to her knees, feeling the magic drain from the well. It seemed as though whatever magic had once been there just seemed to vanish and when she touched the sides of the well they felt brittle like they would give out. The hard truth seemed to grab ahold of her heart and squeeze. She knew that she wouldn't be able to travel back to her family in the future now and all the random things she had done today started to make sense.

Maybe she had subconsciously felt the magic draining from the well and her instincts had picked up on it. She had been told that her powers were greater than many gave her credit for and she was able to act upon them most of the time accordingly. But even if this was the case she felt the tears start to run down her face. She never got the chance to truly say good bye to her family, never got to get one more hug from her mother, annoy her brother just one last time, or get seemingly useless advice from her grandfather.

She couldn't keep the pain or the sorrow in any more and let loose a loud scream. She banged her fists on the wall of the well and kept screaming until warm arms grabbed ahold of her wrists gently and her back was against a well toned chest. A low growl that was more soothing then angry vibrated through her until she gave up fighting and just relaxed and allowed herself to be comforted.

As her fingers held onto the soft silk, the tears only seemed to come even faster.

"I knew that this day would come but I didn't think it would come this soon. I'm not ready to say goodbye to them, Sesshoumaru. I wasn't ready, not yet, it's too soon." Kagome clutched onto her intended like he was also going to disappear.

Sesshoumaru dropped his cold exterior as he looked down at his future mate, he had noticed her wince when he brought her back into his chest, but he had to calm her down. He had sensed her distraught emotions right before she started to scream; he knew losing her way home would hurt her but even he didn't realize that the gate would close this soon.

He could only watch as Kagome let the emotions out. She had a big heart and he knew that this was breaking it. "I know you weren't ready to lose your other home, but maybe this was Fate's way of saying you are needed here more than there. And as hard as it is, you will see your family one day. It will be a long wait but you will see them again." He grabbed her shoulders and slowly pulled her so he could look at her face. It was tear stained, her eyes were swollen and red but she was still beautiful in his eyes.

Looking into her lover's eyes, she saw that he felt her pain, and she understood his words. The pain was so deep right now that she feared it would never ease. But also looking into his eyes, she knew that she had a family here. They would never replace her family in the future but they would never try to either.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she stood and allowed a small smile to peek through the sorrow. Reaching up to ease her fingers along his markings, she knew that she would have to mourn her loss, but right now she had more of a reason to celebrate than to mourn.

"I know, and right now it feels like I will never see them again, but I know I will. And I will have to grieve but now is not the time; Sango will be giving birth soon so our group will be growing. I'm sure Inuyasha and Kikyou will soon work on their own family. And we also have a reason to celebrate." Kagome smiled and took a small step back and took off the sweater and turned around to show him the tattoo. Peeking over her shoulder, she noticed the heated gaze and the smile that grace his lips.

Sesshoumaru couldn't keep his satisfaction in check at seeing the mark on her back. He had heard that she could have the mark put on her back in her own time and it would take half the time and a lot less pain. He couldn't imagine how, but the proof was there on her back. It was the one last step she needed before they could finish the mating dance they had begun almost a year before.

Smiling, he looked down at his intended and showed her that they would not be far behind the others in starting a family. Taking her in his arms he jumped out of the well, and started to head towards one of the small properties that he owned. Tonight would be a night to celebrate not mourn.

Meanwhile the couple that were praying at the Higurashi Shrine finished and stopped when they felt the magic from the well die. Turning, the small female smiled and let the spell that hid her powers and her mate's power fall.

"I can finally see them again when they come home. Although it would have only been a couples weeks since they last saw me, for me it's been a long 486 years. I remember this day like it was yesterday Sesshoumaru, but I can see my other family again." Kagome smiled and turned away from her childhood home. She had learned that her home was where her heart was and that was with her mate and children. She knew her mother would be surprised to see how much she had changed but that was to be expected. She could still remember when Ginta called her to tell her that her younger self had finally showed up at the tattoo parlor.

Sesshoumaru couldn't wait to finally meet his mate's family, but also to see her heart regain that small piece she had lost so long ago. "I know, mate. Let's go see your "brother" and get him and his wife to stop calling."

Smiling, the couple left the shrine and walked hand in hand towards a future neither held the knowledge of.


End file.
